Verona council directs staff to negotiate purchase of Shady Bend parcel for new public works facility

The Verona Common Council voted July 13 to direct staff to negotiate with the owner of a roughly 40‑acre parcel at 6500 Shady Bend Road as the city’s preferred site for a new public works facility.

Mayor Luke Diaz said the council "had a fruitful discussion in closed session, and we are going to direct staff" to work with the property owner and that a potential offer will be discussed at the next council meeting. The direction followed a lengthy open-session review of three candidate sites and a closed-session roll call vote authorizing bargaining.

City staff and the public works committee recommended the Shady Bend parcel because utilities are expected to be extended to the site as part of nearby development, the ownership is from a willing seller and the location would provide flexibility to establish a future north–south roadway connection without routing heavy equipment through adjacent neighborhoods. Planning staff noted at least one access option that would avoid directing traffic through the Shady Bend neighborhood.

Resident Dale Vetsky, who lives on Shady Bend Road, urged the council to preserve a buffer between the facility and nearby homes, saying the proposed facility’s scale — "it's 18 acres of roof" — raises concerns about stormwater, lighting, diesel fumes, truck noise and traffic. "Anything you can do as far as buffering and screening and putting the bulk of the traffic on the side toward Liberty Drive rather than the side towards Shady Bend would be appreciated by the neighborhood," Vetsky said during the public comment period.

Council members acknowledged those neighborhood concerns during debate. Alderman Helmke and others asked staff to provide a written memo and cost estimates and stressed the importance of avoiding routing trucks through residential streets. Staff acknowledged prior estimates for constructing a public works facility may be out of date and could grow by "a fair bit," but emphasized that utilities being run to the parcel will reduce unknowns and that the parcel’s listed price is lower than comparable sites to the north.

The council approved a motion to convene in closed session under Wisconsin Statute 19.85(1)(e) to deliberate and negotiate the purchase. After reconvening, Diaz reported the closed-session outcome and the direction to negotiate. Staff said they expect to return with details and a possible offer at the next council meeting.

Next steps: staff will continue negotiations with the property owner and report back to the council with any offer for formal consideration.